Constitutional court suspends Macedonia vote campaign

Protestors wearing masks use water guns to spray colored paint on the triumph arc "Porta Makedonija", during an anti-government protest in Skopje, Macedonia, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Protests have continued in the Balkan country almost every evening, after the country's president pardoned over a month ago dozens of politicians who were facing criminal proceedings for alleged involvement in a wiretapping scandal. The message on the right reads: "Freedom instead of fear!". (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
(The Associated Press)

Protestors wearing masks use water guns to spray colored paint on the triumph arc "Porta Makedonija", during an anti-government protest in Skopje, Macedonia, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Protests have continued in the Balkan country almost every evening, after the country's president pardoned over a month ago dozens of politicians who were facing criminal proceedings for alleged involvement in a wiretapping scandal. The message in the center reads "Freedom instead of Fear!". (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
(The Associated Press)

Lawmakers gather on an urgent session, in the Parliament building in Macedonia's capital Skopje, on Wednesday, May 18, 2016. Macedonian lawmakers on Wednesday convened in an urgent session on whether to delay a general election scheduled for June 5, after the Constitutional Court temporarily suspended all electoral activities. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
(The Associated Press)

SKOPJE, Macedonia – Macedonia's Constitutional Court has temporarily halted all activities for general elections on June 5, following a request by a party in the current governing coalition to examine whether the decision to dissolve Parliament for the vote was constitutional.

Only one party has been participating in the election campaign — the VMRO-DPMNE of former prime minister Nikola Gruevski, which currently heads the governing coalition. All others have boycotted proceedings, saying there are no conditions for free and fair elections.

The appeal to the Constitutional Court was brought by the junior coalition partner, the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration. The court on Wednesday suspended all election activity pending a decision next week.

Macedonia has been in political turmoil since February 2015 following a wiretapping scandal.